


Goodbye My Lover

by SpookyMoth



Category: Naruto
Genre: F/M, Falling In Love, Fate & Destiny, Folklore, Naruto AU Week 2021, Strangers to Lovers, Suicide
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-09
Updated: 2021-02-09
Packaged: 2021-03-18 01:47:46
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,460
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29110302
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SpookyMoth/pseuds/SpookyMoth
Summary: Some forces are stronger than fate.So much stronger than the bonds that tie families together.Even so strong that even death can not do them apart.
Relationships: Hyuuga Hinata/Uzumaki Naruto
Kudos: 9
Collections: Naruto AU Week 2021





	Goodbye My Lover

**Author's Note:**

> **CW: Blood**
> 
> **TW: Mention of suicide in the end of the chapter. If you don't feel well with this or it could trigger you, please stay away from this story.**  
>    
> Naruto AU Week Day 2: Mythology & Folktales
> 
> Song: James Blunt - "Goodbye My Lover"

The small crack in her wall is nothing she ever bothers about.

Until one night someone whispers to her from the other side. She lights her candle, sure there’s nothing but the wind that disturbs night's rest. The flame illuminates the crack and she sees an eye looking back at her.

She squeals and darkness fills the room again as the candle falls to the floor.

“I am sorry!” the voice says. “I didn’t want to scare you!”

With a pounding heart she bows down, searching for the candle. She doesn’t dare to light it again. Her father will scold her for the wax stains and she isn't eager to face him in the morning. He is a serious man who doesn't like weakness and hates wasting resources.

She is curious now, who lives on the other side of the wall. Until a few weeks ago the house on the other side wasn't inhabited. She hasn’t seen the new residents, but knows her families are at enmity.

“W-who...who are you?” she asks barely audible.

“Naruto." She hears a smile in his voice. "And your name?"

"Hinata."

It is easy to talk to the stranger on the other side. He is full of joy and funny stories. Naruto tells her about a life she is dreaming of. He is free of every burden and heartache, has two loving parents and a lot of friends.

They get to know each other the following weeks and she realises that he becomes a good friend, a constant in those sad days, when her father doesn't take notice of her and her cousin resents her for being alive.

"What is your dream?" she asks him one day.

"I want to be a politician like my father. A worthy leader, who isn't afraid to speak up.”

Hinata is baffled. He doesn’t seem to be the kind of guy, who loves politics.

“Do you also have a dream, Hinata?”

“I-I don’t know,” she answers. “I never thought about this, Naruto.”

Her voice gets so low in the end he almost doesn’t hear her. Naruto knows she is very shy and often stutters. She isn’t very confident about herself and this shows every time they talk.

He wants her to see the world and explore it. She deserves better. It’s just a shame he will never be the one who could make her happy. And he thinks she has a beautiful smile. She must because her voice sounds like heaven in his ears.

“Take your time and when you are sure what you want, tell me, Hinata.”

She hears a sound of his side of the wall. “I need to go to sleep. Good night.”

“Sleep well, Naruto,” she whispers back.

Tonight she dreams about him, imagining he has blue eyes and blond hair. When she wakes up she has this warm feeling in her chest. Naruto makes her feel better, feel more confident about herself.

She starts to believe in herself.

Months fly by without her noticing it. Spring overflows into summer and she realises that Naruto is not just a friend for her. Her feelings have shifted from friendly caring to something that rooted so deep in her heart, she never wants to be without him again. But Hinata knows this is wrong.

“I think I love you,” Naruto says one evening, when she sits at the crack in the wall.

Her hands grab the stitching in her hands harder. The needle stabbing into her finger. All she can do is look through the crack, wishing to see his face.

“Is this true?” she breathes, leaning nearer the wall.

“I know I shouldn’t say something like this or feel this way, but I want to make you happy,” he confesses. “I can’t stop thinking about you. Talking with you every day is the best thing. And when I am not in town I miss this, miss you.”

She can’t breathe.

“This is so weird. Never did things like this, ya know?” he adds as she doesn’t answer.

“I feel the same, Naruto.”

At one evening she has a quarrel with her father. He wants her to marry soon and she disagrees. She knows she will be married to a man of his liking either way.

So she sits at her bed, crying silently.

Naruto hears her sobbing through the crack, knowing that he can't comfort her like he wants to. Hinata has grown dear to him. His heart aches too.

"Hinata?"

She doesn't answer but continues sobbing the whole night.

"I am going to get married."

Her words startle him. They haven't spoken for days. He has known she will tell him what had upset her earlier. It isn't the thing he has expected.

"Is he a good looking guy?" he jokes, hoping to hear her giggle.

"I don't know him."

Her voice sounds sad again and defeated.

"Maybe we should get married."

Hinata gasps.

_Why does he make such jokes?_

"We can't. Our families are enemies."

Naruto knows this. He knows about the difficulties. But he wants her to be happy. He thinks he can be the one to give her a life of happiness.

“We should meet. And run away together.”

“When?”

“Tomorrow at night. When a new day takes over.”

“And where?”

“At Ninus tomb.”

She has waited impatiently until her father is asleep. With fast steps she hurries to their meeting place, her cloak wrapped tightly around her body.

This night is colder than the past ones and she is scared he just has made some joke. Maybe this isn’t such a good idea. Her father will be angry when he finds out she walks outside of their home without protection. Even more to meet with a stranger, the son of his greatest rival. He would not approve of this.

Hinata can see the tomb but there’s no sign of someone else. She fears this is a trap.

 _No_ , she says to herself. _Naruto promised he would appear. He didn’t lie._

A deep roar catches her attention. She turns around and a lioness is approaching her. Her snout is smeared with blood.

This is a bad sign. A really bad sign.

She starts running and stumbles on her cloak, falling down. The lioness follows her with her eyes, moving closer.

Hinata frees herself of her cloak and the wind carries it away. She will come back later, when the lioness is gone.

Naruto is a bit late. His father saw him and asked why he wanted to leave the house late at night. He has prepared a shabby excuse, but his father doesn’t ask further, when he wants to go stargazing.

He runs to their meeting place.

Nobody is near the tomb, but suddenly he sees a cloak; or to be more precise the pieces of a cloak.

Blood is smeared on it. It belongs to a woman. He smells her perfume on it.

Naruto swallows hard, the lump in his throat growing bigger and bigger.

This can’t be true.

The world is full of dangerous animals and lions are the most common animal around her. But he has thought this place is safe. How foolish he has been.

Hot tears start to fall down.

He doesn’t find more, but there is only one conclusion. She was killed by a murderous animal. Without a weapon like him, she couldn’t protect herself.

His heart is full of sorrow. He doesn’t want to live without her.

He draws his sword.

When he lets his body fall down on his sword, the last thing he thinks about is her beautiful voice and her bright laugh.

He will see her soon.

When she is sure the lioness is gone, she comes back.

This time she can see someone near the tomb and she hurries forwards. He looks asleep.

Then she sees his sword and all the blood. Her hand covers her mouth as she realises what has happened. The pieces of her cloak covered in blood, torn by the lioness.

She kneels down and takes her lover's head in her lap. Hinata strokes his beautiful blond hair.

“Oh, Naruto,” she whispers, her silent tears dropping from her face. “I love you.”

She kisses his sweet, cold lips and lays him back on the ground. With all her strength she takes the sword, knowing this is the sole way they can be together. In a better place.

One last time she looks at his face. Then she pushes the sword through her body.

It is a beautiful picture as those ill-fated lovers lay side by side under the mulberry tree.

Even the gods are moved by their undying love.

And thus the fruits of the mulberry tree became red.

A memento of love and lost hope.

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks a lot for reading. 
> 
> This idea is based on the story "Pyramus and Thisbe" by Ovid. I translated the whole story during my Latin course fifteen years ago and fell head over heels in love with it.  
> [Wikipedia about Pyramus and Thisbe](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pyramus_and_Thisbe)
> 
> The story or the concept of this story is mostly known because of "Romeo and Juliet" where Shakespeare borrowed the idea. 
> 
> Maybe some of you know that "Pyramus and Thisbe" also appears in "A Midsummer Night's Dream" because a group of actors want to give this play as a gift for the upcoming wedding of Theseus and Hippolyta.
> 
> This folktale or myth is even much older than Ovid.


End file.
